We shall study regulation of Protein biosynthesis and nucleic acid metabolism during embryogenesis, to gain a firmer understanding of molecular mechanisms which underlie such developmental phenomena as differentation and growth. Our attention shall be focused on regulation at the translational and post-translational levels of protein synthesis because it is at these levels that the protein biosynthetic machinery appears to be controlled during the initial stages of development. In particular we hope to confirm and to extend our present knowledge of the macromolecular structure of the gene for rRNA. This added information will be used to further the investigation of regulation of the synthesis and processing of rRNA, the assembly of the 60S ribosomal subunits and the association of the tightly bound polysome-membrane complexes. In addition we shall complete our current characterization of the kinds of protein made on "free", loosely bound and tightly bound polysomes at the several stages of amphibian embryogenesis. Bibliographic references: Kamen, Barton A. and J. Douglas Caston (1975). Identification of a folate binder in hog kidney. J. Biol. Chem. 250: 2203-2205; Johnson, Thomas R. and J. Douglas Caston (1975). Electron microscopy of ribosomal RNA mounted by adsorbtion in the absence of protein. Biopolymers 14: 1503-1514.